Free Workshops on Molecular Visualization
for Undergraduate Bioscience Teaching
Amherst MA -- Summer, 1997-8
Understanding the three-dimensional structures of proteins, DNA,
RNA, and their interactions is difficult from flat pictures, yet
grasping structure is important to understanding function. Free
software is now available which displays attention-grabbing 3D
animated images of biological molecules in depth-cued spacefilling
color. RasMol (http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol), which
works on Windows or Macs, encourages self-directed exploration.
Chime (http://www.umass.edu/microbio/chime) allows annotated
preset views of molecules to be delivered as web tutorials.
Free, hands-on workshops will be held this summer at the University
of Massachusetts in Amherst to prepare college faculty with no prior
experience to use molecular visualization in their classes.
Participants will travel to the Amherst campus on three separate
days (two this summer, one the following summer), and are
responsible for their own travel expenses (and therefore are
expected primarily from the Northeastern USA). Overnight
accomodations will be provided free to those needing them (based on
distance traveled). Participants will be expected to incorporate
molecular visualization into their teaching, and to mentor two
faculty colleagues at their home institution.
The workshops will be led by Eric Martz, a Professor in the
Department of Microbiology. Martz has innovated molecular structure
tutorials which are in use throughout the USA and in dozens of other
countries. The web site he created (see above) was visited by
40,000 people in 1996.
1997 dates are June 17 and 30 (workshop A), or June 19 and July 2
(workshop B). Workshops A and B also meet for one day in late June
1998. To obtain more detailed information and a REGISTRATION
FORM, visit
http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol/workshop.htm
or FAX a request to 413-545-1578,
or email a request to emartz at microbio.umass.edu.
Supported by the National Science Foundation (Undergraduate Faculty
Enhancement, Division of Undergraduate Education) and the University
of Massachusetts.
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Eric Martz, Professor (Immunology), Dept Microbiology, Univ
Massachusetts,
Amherst MA US 01003-5720 413-545-2325 FAX:545-1578.
RasMol Home Page, http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol
Other web projects listed at
http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol/em-web.htm
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